Making predictions is a perilous practice for any political journalist. Too often, the would-be seers turn out to be dead wrong – as can be attested to by George Will, Michael Barone, Larry Kudlow, and the humiliated boy genius on Fox News, all of whom projected a big victory for Mitt Romney in 2012. Yet there […]

The Supreme Court officially adjourned for the summer on Monday, but not before bestowing Republicans with a double-edged sword in the form of a major ruling. The Court’s 5-4 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby struck down a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that had required employer-provided health care to include contraception coverage for […]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is hard at work on the Senate’s agenda — that is, of course, if Republicans take over in November. As Cortney O’Brien reports at the conservative site Town Hall, McConnell used the last day of the National Right to Life Convention to vow that he and his fellow Republicans would […]

Washington (AFP) — Mississippi incumbent Thad Cochran was fighting for his political life in a Republican runoff for his U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, seeking to repulse a surging conservative challenger bucking the party establishment. A series of primary races are similarly pitting political veterans against relative outsiders, including key contests in Oklahoma, New York, and […]

Tuesday marks the launch of Make It Work, a three-year, non-profit campaign that hopes to call attention to women’s economic security — or, one may argue, insecurity. Make It Work is specifically focused on the economic inequality experienced by women, which the organizers believe is too often ignored or forgotten in broader discussions of income and wealth […]

As Tea Partiers rejoice over Dave Brat’s shocking primary victory over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), another conservative Virginia politician who was not as lucky in last year’s elections is getting a chance to advance the movement. Former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli — who lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the commonwealth’s 2013 gubernatorial race […]

By Lisa Mascaro and Richard Simon, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — A battle royale emerged Wednesday among House Republicans jockeying to move up the leadership ladder after Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s stunning primary defeat to a tea party newcomer. Cantor, a seven-term Republican from Virginia, is expected to resign his post as the No. 2 […]

By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California voters overwhelmingly embraced Democratic Governor Jerry Brown over his Republican rivals in the June primary, but he has failed to win them over on some of the state’s most pressing issues. Brown’s handling of state prisons, efforts to address poverty and his response to California’s […]

Although many conservatives are becoming desperate to distance themselves – and their party – from the “repeal or replace” war they have waged on the Affordable Care Act, several Republican candidates running in 2014 have proven unwilling or unable to cut the cord. With Election Day just months away, many GOP candidates now find themselves on the defensive, as […]

By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — Two of Southern California’s hottest congressional races were shaping up to be extremely close in early election night returns. Gang prosecutor Elan Carr narrowly led the pack in the crowded field for an open, strongly Democratic Westside/South Bay seat. He was followed, in close order, by […]

By Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Downright dirty politics is one way to describe Mississippi’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, which has shaped up as the most brutally competitive of the season. And it’s likely to be a nail-biter until the bitter end. Senator Thad Cochran, the stately 74-year-old incumbent seeking a seventh term, […]

The 2014 midterm elections are kicking into high gear, with GOP primaries throughout the nation being watched closely as “establishment” Republicans and Democrats alike anticipate the defeat of several Tea Party candidates. Just four years ago, the Tea Party emerged as a powerful and, for some, fresh force in the Republican Party. Today, however, ultraconservatives are struggling […]

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times There are a host of primaries on Tuesday in states across the country, but for one that shows just how effective money can be in politics, look no further than Pennsylvania. Four Democrats are competing to run against Republican Governor Tom Corbett, widely thought to be one of the […]

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans killed what could have served as a rare example of bipartisan consensus, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act. The legislation, which was sponsored by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), should have passed; the bill’s provisions were far from controversial and a similar companion bill in the Republican-controlled House had […]

By Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The freewheeling Republican primary for an open Senate seat from Georgia was always expected to be a bruising affair. New polling confirms just how much. Ahead of next week’s primary election, voters remain highly divided among the five main candidates, all but guaranteeing a tough, costly runoff […]

Despite firm GOP opposition, the Senate is expected to vote on Senator Tom Harkin’s (D-IA) Fair Minimum Wage Act bill on Wednesday. While the vote will bring greater attention to an issue that Democrats hope to highlight ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, the bill appears to have little hope of passing. Democrats concede that the legislation […]

By Greg Bluestein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ATLANTA — The actor William H. Macy has a problem. He’s trying to come up with a song to play at an upcoming fundraiser for Democrat Jason Carter’s campaign, and now he’s learned that former President Jimmy Carter may also attend. Suddenly, that ukulele tune has become more important. […]

By David Lauter, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Three lessons jump out from the latest round of polling on key U.S. Senate races. First, just as Democrats have been saying, their endangered incumbent in Arkansas, Sen. Mark Pryor, is doing better than analysts in Washington had believed. By 47 percent to 38 percent, registered voters […]

By Michael A. Memoli and David Lauter, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Faced with a strong prospect of losing control of the Senate in November, Democrats have begun a high-stakes effort to try to overcome one of their party’s big weaknesses: voters who don’t show up for midterm elections. The party’s Senate campaign committee plans […]

By Sheryl Jean, The Dallas Morning News DALLAS — If you want to start a fight, talk about pay differences between women and men. And then throw in politics just to spice things up. That is what’s happening in Texas and across the country as equal pay takes center stage as mid-term elections heat up. […]

By Anita Kumar, McClatchy Washington Bureau ARLINGTON, Va. — Hillary Clinton’s name won’t be on any ballot in November, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see her supporters hit the campaign trail this year. Ready for Hillary, the political action committee that hopes to lay the groundwork for Clinton’s second presidential run, plans to help […]

By Michael A. Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — A year after Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus commissioned a report that suggested sweeping changes in how the party operates, he touted progress on many fronts — but distanced himself from a key recommendation to increase its appeal to the Latino community: support for comprehensive […]

By Daniel Rothberg, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Republican Party’s congressional campaign wing said Tuesday that a hotly contested special election in Florida is serving as a laboratory for testing messages and tactics for the 2014 midterm races. During a news conference, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the National Republican Congressional […]

On Monday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairman and New York representative Steve Israel announced 16 top candidates for the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, which hopes to spur party switches in Republican-held districts. “These candidates earned their places in our battle-tested program because of their hard work and the competitive nature of their districts,” […]

By David Lightman and Lindsay Wise, McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Hotels, transportation and finances — not political considerations — will matter most to Republican officials choosing a 2016 national convention site, party leaders said Monday after hearing bids from cities across the country. Eight cities are vying to host the convention, which likely will […]